Kojima Explained Why Death Stranding 2 Is Dropping in June, and It Makes Total Sense

Turns out the Death Stranding 2 release date wasn’t chosen on a whim or some random marketing theory. Hideo Kojima himself confirmed it: June 2025 is a strategic move, not a delay, and not his first choice.

On Episode 16 of his KOJI10 podcast, Kojima broke down exactly why Death Stranding 2: On the Beach isn’t launching in the usual blockbuster fall window. The episode, hilariously themed around getting drunk in an izakaya (even though Kojima doesn’t drink), featured a pretty pointed fan question:

“Here’s a question that a drunk director might just answer… (Kojima: ‘I’m not drunk!’) Did you have any preferences for Death Stranding 2’s launch date? Is there a reason you are releasing it in June and not September?”

What followed was one of the clearest, most grounded insights into release scheduling we've ever heard from Kojima. Long story short: it’s all about staying out of Sony’s way—and avoiding a catastrophic clash with other mega launches.

“For example, Sony has various other games lined up,” Kojima explained. “So, we can’t overlap with these other titles. It’s the same with movies. This decision (about Death Stranding 2’s release date) was made quite a while back.”

Let’s be honest, this isn’t shocking. Kojima Productions is working with Sony, and they’re not just going to let him drop DS2 in the middle of a stacked launch calendar. Even without him naming names, it’s easy to guess what he’s talking about.

October? That’s Ghost of Yotei (a.k.a. Ghost of Tsushima 2). August? Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater. September? Borderlands 4 just got bumped to the 12th. Every major studio is camping out in the fall, and Sony’s smart enough to make sure their titles don’t eat each other alive.

“Generally, games sell well in the West in October and November. I wanted to release (Death Stranding 2) around this time.”

Kojima has a history with fall releases; MGS2 and MGS3 both hit shelves in November in North America. But even he had to bow to the harsh reality of modern game scheduling.

“June was decided upon quite a while ago, whilst looking at the schedule. If we end up releasing Death Stranding 2 even slightly late, it will be a problem.”

In other words, they’re threading a needle here. Miss the June window, and DS2 risks dropping straight into the fall chaos, when players are already buried under AAA hype and multi-month RPG grinds.

He even joked (but not really) about the nuclear bomb that is GTA 6:

“For example, if GTA 6 were announced for November, the second that happened, everyone else would move their game’s release date out of that month.”

Kojima added that you have to think about how long players spend with a game—many take two months or more to finish something like Death Stranding 2. So, stacking big games too closely just doesn't make sense.

There’s also the promotion angle. Games aren’t just about release dates, they’re about building up months of marketing and buzz. If you delay the game, you burn that momentum and waste millions in promo dollars.

He did offer a bit of advice for new studios or original IPs:

February is a good option... assuming there’s no Monster Hunter Wilds or another giant title in the way.

Again, he’s not wrong. Sega literally moved up Like A Dragon: Pirates in Hawaii this year just to avoid a Monster Hunter pileup.

DS2 Release Plan

June is locked in, and now it makes a lot more sense. Kojima doesn’t want to fight for oxygen in a crowded room. He wants to give Death Stranding 2 the space it needs to breathe, especially since it’s the kind of game that doesn’t sell itself on flashy trailers or name recognition alone; it needs time to build word of mouth.

Also worth noting: this June release means Death Stranding 2 could dominate the summer. Unless someone pulls a fast one and drops another heavy hitter, Kojima’s going to own the conversation through July and August.

We’ve still got more DS2 coverage coming, there’s already a full interview with Kojima out there, plus 30 hours of hands-on impressions floating around. But this podcast drop? It’s a rare peek behind the curtain, and it honestly makes us appreciate the release timing a lot more.

Now we wait for June, and pray that Rockstar doesn’t randomly nuke the calendar with a GTA bomb.